Work balancing machine



Nov. 17, 1942. J. P. LANNEN 2,301,958

WORK BALANC ING MACHINL Original Filed Feb. 9, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l H 1 #30; I F

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I I +1! 32 Z W I 16 I .15 I 3 7 5 10 I 3 3 l 8 Imventor I I 2. Joseph P Lennon 53%,. 37 2 I Gttorne (IIIIII' Q r Nov-E17, 1942. J, P, LANNEN 2,301,958 WORK BALANCING MACHINE I Original Filed Feb. 9, 1938 v ,2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ll/11111711, 74 A Snventor Jos ph P Lumen Patented Nov. 17, 1942 worn; BALANCING MACHINE v Joseph P. Lannen, Detroit, Mich.

Original application February 9, 1938, Serial No. 189,606. Divided and this application January 29, 1940, Serial No. 316,201"

4 Claims. (01. 73-53) V This invention relates to balancing machines, and particularly to work carriers for such machines, and the present application is divisional to my copending application Ser. No. 189,606, filed February 9, 1938, which issued on May 7, 1940, as Patent Number 2,199,667.

An object is to equip such a machine with a provision for damping the oscillations of the work carrier in use thereof.

A further object is to locate beneath a universal pivoted work carrier and substantially at its vertical pivotal axis, a. member connected substantially rigidly to the carrier and submerged in liquid to an extent producing a desired yieldable resistance to oscillation of the carrier.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the work carrier of the improved machine, showing in dash lines the released position of the clamping shoes.

Fig. 2 is an axial vertical sectional view of the carrier and its pivotal support, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional detail, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and showing one of two bolts normally preventing upward removal of the shoes from the carrier.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional detail, taken on the line 44 of Fig. l, and showing particularly a provision on the shoes, for engaging the inflation stem of a tire air tube.

Fig. 5 is an axial vertical sectional view of the hollow base of a balancing machine, showing particularly a provision within such base for damping the oscillations of the work carrier of the machine.

In these views the reference character I designates the hollow cylindrical base of a balancing machine, and 2 a mounting plate centrally surmounting the base and rigidly carrying a hollow or outer post 3 having an exterior annular flange 4 at its top. A sleeve 5 is mounted upon such post for a limited vertical sliding travel and is keyed thereto as indicated at 6, to prevent rotation of such sleeve. Vertical actuation of the sleeve is accomplished by any convenient means, such as by machining the bottom face of the sleeve 5 to form two semi-circular spiral cam faces I,

resting on pins 8, carried by a collar 9, rotative on the post and resting on the mounting plate 2. A handle 10 projects from such collar, for rotating the same, so that the pins may take effect on said cam faces.

Positioned within and proj cting above the post 3 is an innerpost H adapted to seat a ball 12, serving as a universal pivot member for a work carrier. Thus said ball has a pressed fit within the recessed lower portion of a plug [3, threaded or otherwise fixed within a hub i4, fastened by bolts Ma, or otherwise rigidly secured at the center of a circular carrier plate l5. A ring I5, of hard material, encircling the post 3, is interposed between said sleeve 5 and the hub, and is rigidly secured to the latter, such ring engaging beneath theflange 4 to limit the upward actuation of the ring and work carrier by the sleeve 5.

A hollow pedestal ll, threaded or otherwise rigidly mounted on the upper end of the hub, is flanged at its top to seat a universal level l8, having radial markings on its top face to identify the direction of unbalance. l

A pair of substantially semi-circular clamping shoes 2|, integrally carrying horizontally slotted lugs 22, are arranged in complementary relation and pivoted at relatively remote ends on pins 23 and 24, engaging said lugs and rigidly upstanding from the carrier plate. The free end of each shoe is connected to and urged toward the pivoted end of the companion shoe, by a coiled spring 25. Centrally journaled on the hub l4 and seating on a shoulder thereof,

is a double-armed lever 25, terminally engageable with pins 21 carried by lugs 28, integrally projecting from the free ends of the shoes and horizontally slotted to accommodate said lever. For actuating such lever, a cam 29 is rigidly secured on the lower end of a vertical shank 33,

the lower portion whereof forms a socket to receive a pin Sila rigidly rising from the carrier plate I5, the upper end of said shank being provided with a handle 3|.

Each of said clamping shoes is formed on its outer face with a'ilange 32 extending from end to end thereof, to aid in centering and supporting objects, such as that shown in Fig. 2, where this flange supports one of the shoes of a tire casing. A flange 3Ia, extends inwardly from end to end of each shoe, and is formed with a keyhole slot 33, accommodating a headed bolt 34, secured to the carrier plate. Also, integrally formed on the pivoted end of each clamping shoe is a circumferential projection 35 formed with a downwardly opening slot 36, occupying a radial relation to the carrier.

An anchoring post 31, threaded into or otherwise fixed on the mounting plate 2 and upwardly projecting therefrom, is socketed at its upper fixed in the carrier end to receive a ball-shaped head 38 on a pin plate I5, to prevent rotation of the latter. A pair of lugs 39, rigidly carried by and beneath the carrier plate at diametrically opposed points thereof, carry transversely adjustable threaded weights 40, held in adjusted position by set screws or the like. Such weights aid in balancing the carrier, since it is necessary that the carrier and all parts carried thereby be in universal balance.

A rod 4! or the like, rigidly secured to and downwardly projecting from the carrier plate extends freely through the top of the base, and rigidly carries within the latter a cylinder 42, closed at its upper and open at its normally centered in the vertical axis of the machine. Said cylinder is submerged in oil or the lower end, and

like within an open-topped container 43, and a" pipe 44 supports such container from a wall of the base. Preferably said pipe further serves to supply oil to the container it from a bottle 25 located exteriorly to the base and having anoutlet tube 45 projecting downwardly to maintain the oil at a constant level.

In operating the described machine, the clamp-- ing shoes while in their released position are engaged by a tire or other annular object 4? and the cam handle 3! is then turned, rotating the cam 29, and rocking the lever 26. As the lever rocks, its ends enter the slots of 28, and bear against the pins 2?, so as to urge the free end of each shoe away from the pivoted end of the companion shoe, thus expanding or spreading apart the shoes within a tire or other object. work on the carrier, the collar ii is rotated by its handle H! to lower the sleeve 5, and permit the ball I 2 to seat on the post Ii, and thus take the load of the carrier and work. Ordinarily, when the machine is idle, the sleeve ceive the load, while elevating the ball somewhat above the post i I.

As shown in Fig. 5, the described oscillation damper located within the hollow base I, is normally axially aligned with the vertical aXis of the machine, and is hence equally effective to damp oscillations of the work carrier in any direction. 'Such oscillations are transmitted by the rod 4! from the carrier plate l5 to the damper, where they encounter a predetermined yielding resistance. When the level in container 43 falls sufficiently to uncover the outlet of the tube 45, oil discharges from the bottle 45 to restore such level.

"When it is desired to remove the shoes from the carrier, said shoes may be abnormally actuated apart until the heads of bolts 34 register with the enlarged ends of the slots 33, it being then feasible to lift the shoes clear of their pivot pins.

After a casing has been balanced, it is usually necessary to again balance such casing in asthe lugs After thus centering and clamping the 5 is raised to resembly with an inner air tube to ascertain if the valve stem of such tube will overcome the ascertained unbalance of the casing. Thus, when operating on an assembled tire and tube, the stem of the tube is held from rotation during rotative adjustment of the casing.

It is an important feature of the described clamping means that its operation involves no disturbance of the normal universally balanced condition of the work carrier.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a balancing machine, a work carrier, means pivoting said carrier for universal movement, a container disposed beneath said carrier, a liquid in said container, a substantially cylindrical, hollow, open-bottomed element at least partially submerged in the liquid, and means securing such element substantially rigidly to the carrier, whereby said element serves to damp oscillations of the carrier.

2. In a balancing machine, a work carrier, means pivoting said carrier for universal movement, a supporting base for the carrier, a container disposed beneath the carrier and spaced from a wall of the base, a liquid in said container, a support for the container extending to said wall and formed with a passage extending through said wall for delivering liquid to the container, and a damping element mounted on the carrier and at least partially submerged in said liquid and effective in all directions of its movement to damp oscillations of the carrier.

3. In a balancing machine, a work carrier, means pivoting said carrier for universal movement, a container disposed beneath the carrier, a liquid in said container, a hollow support for the container laterally extending from the container for delivering liquid to the container, and a damping element mounted on the carrier and at least partially submerged in said liquid and eifective in all directions of its movement to damp oscillations of the carrier.

4. In a balancing machine, a work carrier, mean pivoting said carrier for universal move ment, a hollow supporting base for said pivot means, a container disposed within said base, a liquid in said container, a damping element mounted on the carrier and at least partially sub merged in said liquid, and efiective in all directions of its movement to damp oscillations of the carrier, a duct opening into said container for replenishing its liquid contents, and means exterior to said base for delivering liquid to said duct, having a provision for automatically maintaining a substantially definite level in said container.

JOSEPH P. LANNEN. 

